The Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) of Devon Council met on Tuesday 2 June 2026. The agenda included updates on religious education in schools, national and regional developments, and the outcomes of recent Ofsted inspections. The meeting also covered information on the SACRE's membership and ongoing initiatives.

Ofsted Monitoring and School Standards

An update was scheduled regarding findings from Ofsted reports published between February and May 2026, with a focus on Religious Education (RE), collective worship, and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development (SMSC) in schools. The report pack indicated that SACRE officers might contact schools to commend good practice or offer support in specific areas.

Areas of concern highlighted in reports included Parkham Primary School, where inspectors noted that Leaders recognise that further work is needed to continue developing pupils' understanding of cultural diversity. The report stated that SACRE had been in contact with the school to offer further input.

The report also detailed comments from Ofsted inspections across various primary and secondary schools in Devon. For instance, Witheridge Primary School was noted for events that widen pupils' horizons and deepen their understanding of different countries and cultures, and for pupils having secure knowledge of fundamental British values, the different backgrounds and identities people may have and healthy relationships.

At the secondary level, Okehampton College received comments that Pupils gain an understanding of fundamental British values, such as mutual respect and tolerance. However, Ilfracombe Academy's report mentioned that a minority of pupils express views that are derogatory or prejudiced and not in line with British values, which left some pupils feeling uncomfortable. The report noted that leaders at Ilfracombe do not tolerate these instances when aware of them.

Learn Teach Lead RE Updates and Funding

An update was scheduled on the progress of the Learn, Teach, Lead RE (LTLRE) hub network. This included information on hub leaders' training sessions held in October 2025 and March 2026, with a further session planned for July 2026. The report indicated that LTLRE hub groups across Devon were continuing to be successful, with termly meetings attracting a good number of RE teachers, held both in person and online.

Recent spring term meetings had included a cross-phase session on oracy with Azaan Akbar and Planning for Personal Knowledge. Summer term meetings were planned to feature a secondary session with a GCSE examiner, mapping Oak Academy resources onto the KS4 curriculum, a meeting with Simran Singh from the Sikh community, and a celebration of RE. A flyer for the annual conference at St Mellion on 2 October 2026 had also been released, with bookings now open.

Regional and National Developments

Verbal updates were scheduled on the latest regional and national developments relevant to Religious Education. This included feedback from the South West SACRE Conference held on 2 March 2026 and the NASACRE Conference held on 18 May 2026.

Local Government Reorganisation Plans

An update was also scheduled regarding advice given to SACRE in relation to Local Government Reorganisation plans.

Other Information Items

The meeting agenda also included items for information, such as noting any changes to the membership of Devon SACRE and receiving a verbal presentation from a representative from Group A about their group's representation on the council. An update on the Curriculum and Assessment Review was also scheduled.

The council's constitution¹ outlines the terms of reference for committees, and information on committee membership and access to documents is available on the council's website.